US 5,475,836 A · Interface for providing access to external data sources/sinks

Abstract

An interface for enabling an application program to connect to a selected one or more of a plurality of external data sources/sinks, the application program running on a computer having active memory, the interface including a plurality of driver means, each of said drivers corresponding to a different subgroup of the plurality of external data sources/sinks; a name manager for identifying the drivers to the application; a selector for selecting one of the identified external data sources/sinks; a loader for loading the drivers corresponding to the selected external data source/sink into active memory; and an identifier for identifying a first plurality of entry points to a first plurality of function calls that said application can make to the loaded drivers, the plurality of function calls including function calls for establishing and/or terminating connectivity to the loaded drivers.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for enabling an application program to connect to a selected one or more of a plurality of external data sources/sinks, said application program running on a computer having active memory, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of driver means, each of said driver means corresponding to a different subgroup of said plurality of external data sources/sinks;
in response to an inquiry from said application program, reporting to the application program the identity of each of the driver means of said plurality of driver means;
in response to the application program, selecting one of the plurality of driver means previously identified to the application program;
loading the selected driver means into active memory;
and
reporting to the application program a first plurality of entry points in said loaded driver means for a first plurality of function calls that said application program can make to said loaded driver means, said first plurality of entry points for use by said application program to make said first plurality of function calls directly to said loaded driver means, said first plurality of function calls including function calls for establishing and/or terminating connectivity to said loaded driver means.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Interface for providing access to external data sources/sinks

Life of this patent

Interface for providing access to external data sources/sinks

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20